Chapter 386 New Parents: Vicious Cycle
It was one of those rare weekday afternoons when Ashton didn’t have to go into work.
The kids were in the other room, and for the first time in weeks, we had the bedroom to ourselves.
To celebrate, he decided…
He leaned in slowly, closing the distance bit by bit.
I could feel the heat in his breath, see the desire flickering in his eyes.
Finally, our lips met.
Just then, the sharp cry of two babies pierced through from the other room.
Instantly, we both sat up and leapt out of bed.
‘Mum’s coming, Mum’s coming…‘
The sound of their wailing tugged at something deep inside me, twisting my chest until it hurt. I didn’t feel calm again until I had one of them in my arms.
In the nursery, Minnie and Mickey had both woken up and were crying like the world was ending. I scooped up Minnie first–she always had the fiercer temper–while Ashton took Mickey, who was usually the calm and easy
one.
But today, something was off. Mickey was crying harder than usual, squirming in Ashton’s arms like he was in
pain.
Ashton looked stricken. He sat down and rubbed Mickey’s back gently, murmuring to him, but the baby only cried
louder.
Normally, as soon as one of us held him, he’d settle right down. This time, no matter how Ashton soothed him, he just wouldn’t stop.
‘Bring him here,‘ I said. ‘I’ll feed him. Maybe he’s just hungry.‘
Sure enough, once they’d had their milk, both babies quietened down. They lay in their cots, staring up at us with those big, curious eyes, occasionally letting out a few meaningless coos as if trying to talk back.
Since they were already awake, Ashton and I decided to give them a bit of tummy time. We rolled them over gently and encouraged them to lift their heads.
We’d started the practice about a week ago. At first, they could only lift their heads for a brief moment before letting them drop again, but now both Minnie and Mickey could hold them up for a few seconds.
Ashton, ever the meticulous one, had even made a spreadsheet to track their progress.
After a week of training, Minnie could hold her head up for 7.8 seconds, while Mickey managed 7.4.
‘Do you think the nurse mixed them up at birth?‘ I said, half joking. ‘It feels like Minnie came out first.‘
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Chapter 388 New Parents: Vicious Cycle
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Ashton glanced over, and I pointed at the chart on his tablet. ‘I’m serious, Look–whether it’s her appetite, her height, her weight, or just her energy, Minnie’s stronger than Mickey in every way.‘
Ashton thought about it for a moment and nodded. It was true.
When they were first born, there hadn’t been much difference between them, but as they grew, the gap had started to show.
After feeding, the two little angels stayed awake and played with us for almost two hours before finally drifting off again.
One–month–old babies don’t sleep quite as much as newborns, but they still need at least eighteen hours a day.
As first–time parents, Ashton and I had no idea that their crying earlier that afternoon wasn’t normal at all.
That night, our real nightmare began.
‘Waaah… waaah… waaah…‘
Both babies kept waking up, one after the other, and each time they cried harder than before. Ashton and I were completely overwhelmed, running around like headless chickens trying to calm them down.
A lot of people probably think that if a baby won’t stop crying, the solution is simple: just feed them.
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